Actor Harvey Keitel (1939)

Quentin Tarantino’s film, Reservoir Dogs (1992), follows a group of eight men as they carry out a diamond heist. They all use aliases except for the boss, Joe Cabot, and his son, ‘Nice Guy’ Eddie Cabot. While having breakfast at a diner, things take a dangerous turn when they realize the job was a setup and their fellow thief, Blonde, has gone rogue. With Brown dead and Blue and Blonde missing, White and Orange flee to their hideout where they meet up with Pink. As tensions rise between the men over what to do next, White is angered by the fact that Blonde was even hired in the first place due to his ...

Thelma & Louise (1991), an American crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri, follows the journey of two friends as they escape their mundane lives in Arkansas for a weekend getaway at a fishing cabin in the mountains. Thelma is married to a disrespectful and controlling carpet salesman named Darryl, while Louise works as a sassy waitress in a diner and has an on-and-off relationship with musician Jimmy. As they make their way to the cabin, they make a pit stop at a roadhouse bar where Thelma ends up dancing with an overly flirtatious ...

Two Evil Eyes (1990) is a collaborative horror film penned and helmed by George A. Romero and Dario Argento. This international production between Italy and the United States is divided into two distinct stories, both heavily influenced by the writing of Edgar Allan Poe. The first, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, features Adrienne Barbeau under Romero’s direction, while the second, The Black Cat, ...

The American neo-noir mystery film The Two Jakes (1990) serves as a sequel to the 1974 classic Chinatown. Jack Nicholson once again takes on the role of J.J. ‘Jake’ Gittes, both directing and starring in the film. Set in 1948 Los Angeles, businessman Julius ‘Jake’ Berman hires the seasoned private investigator to catch his wife, Kitty, in an act of adultery. During the sting operation, Berman unexpectedly kills his wife’s lover, Mark Bodine – who also happens to be his business partner in a real estate development company. This turn of events lands Gittes under scrutiny for ...

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), an epic religious drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader with contributions from Scorsese and Jay Cocks, is based on Nikos Kazantzakis’ controversial 1955 novel of the same name. The film depicts Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter living in the Roman client state of Judea, struggling with conflicting desires and his understanding of God’s plan for him. ...

The American romantic comedy drama film, The Pick-up Artist (1987), was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was written and directed by James Toback. Jack Jericho, a 21-year-old womanizer, constantly refines his craft. Driving around the city in a red convertible, he smoothly charms women wherever he goes. Unfortunately, this behavior doesn’t sit well with the principal at his school who reprimands him for hitting on students’ mothers. One night while out and about, Jack approaches Lulu as she waits in her mobster boyfriend Alonzo’s convertible. As Alonzo approaches and threatens him, Jack ...

Director Brian De Palma brought to life Wise Guys (1986), an American dark comedy about two men at the bottom of a Newark Mafia hierarchy. Harry Valentini and Moe Dickstein, an Italian American and a Jewish friend respectively, worked for Castelo by completing mundane tasks like caring for his goldfish or testing bullet-proof jackets. Despite their lowly positions, they had big dreams of opening a unique Jewish-Italian deli. Unfortunately, their boss and fellow gang members looked down on them and often made fun of their aspirations. During a trip to the racetrack with Castelo’s violent henchman Frank ‘The ...

The Duellists (1977), a British drama directed by Ridley Scott and produced by David Puttnam, is set in France during the Napoleonic Wars. It follows the intense rivalry of two officers, Bonapartist Gabriel Feraud and aristocratic Armand d’Hubert, as they engage in a series of duels over nearly two decades. The film, based on Joseph Conrad’s short story The Duel, delves into the political turmoil of early 19th-century France. Garnering critical acclaim at its debut, it won the award for Best Debut Film ...

The American neo-noir psychological vigilante film Taxi Driver (1976) follows Travis Bickle, a chronic insomniac and lonely man in New York City. To cope, he takes a job as a night shift taxi driver and frequents adult movie theaters while keeping a diary filled with aphorisms. However, he becomes disillusioned with the city’s crime and urban decay, yearning to rid ‘the scum off the streets’. Along the way, Travis becomes infatuated with Betsy, who works as a campaign volunteer for Senator Charles Palantine’s presidential bid. After visiting her at the campaign office and asking her out for coffee, she agrees and confesses to feeling a special ...

The American romantic comedy drama film, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), directed by Martin Scorsese, follows the story of Alice Hyatt. After her husband Donald, a Coca-Cola delivery driver, is killed in a traffic accident in Socorro, New Mexico, Alice decides to sell most of her belongings and leave with her son Tommy to their childhood home in Monterey, California. Being a former singer, she hopes to revive her abandoned singing career. However, their financial struggles lead them to make a temporary stop in Phoenix, Arizona where Alice finds work as a lounge singer. It is there that she meets Ben, a ...

Mean Streets (1973), an American crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, follows the story of Charlie Cappa, a young Italian-American living in Little Italy, New York City. Charlie is constantly weighed down by his sense of responsibility towards his reckless friend John ‘Johnny Boy’ Civello. Johnny is a small-time gambler who refuses to work and is deeply in debt to several loan sharks. Throughout the film, Charlie struggles with balancing his Catholic beliefs and his involvement in the Mafia at the request of his powerful uncle Giovanni. Adding to this turmoil is the fact that Charlie is having a ...

Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967) is an American independent drama film written and directed by Martin Scorsese. The story follows J.R., a typical Catholic Italian-American young man navigating the streets of New York City. Even in adulthood, he remains close to a core group of friends with whom he enjoys drinking and partying. Things change when he meets a local girl on the Staten Island Ferry and decides he wants to settle down with her. However, despite their deepening relationship, he declines her advances for sex because he believes she is a virgin and wants to wait instead of ‘spoiling’ ...